On Bridges of Wind
by 13 Bridges of Water
Summary: Jess had grown old.  As his life draws to a close he finds someone special waiting for him.  Warning- this follows cannon and therefore is not a Leslie didn't die story. T for themes of death.


**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Bridge to Terabithia**_**. It belongs to Katherine Patterson. I'm just playing with the characters that she created so beautifully.**

**Authors Note: This does follow canon, so Leslie did die. I love reviews as long as they aren't simply pointing out that Leslie shouldn't have died- that just isn't the basis for this story. That said, constructive criticism is great. Reviews definitely help me improve, so please do review. Also, just to let you know, this is a one shot although I may at some point write a prequel to it if people like it.**

The world faded around him, getting smaller and smaller until it reached a single point. He left behind all the remnants of his life- the drawings, all the drawings where he tried to capture her or the kingdom perfectly, but never could. The paintings which he had tried when drawing couldn't recreate what had been. But even then, the paintings weren't right either. All of the books after he had stopped trying to paint her, which came closer, but still could never be quite right. He left it all behind with that last breath. And when it all was gone, there she was.

He wasn't sure exactly what had happened- heart attack he would be told later- but all of a sudden she was there. She was an old woman now, but he would know her anywhere. "Leslie!" he cried out. "That's you isn't it, Leslie Burke!" He had always hoped he'd see her again when he died, but part of him had never really believed it. Yet, here she was. In all those times of imagining this, though, he had never pictured her old. He had assumed that when she died she was frozen in time, ten forever.

"It's me Jess. I've missed you."

He walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms.

"Not that I'm not thrilled to see you, but where exactly are we?" Jesse asked as he pulled away slightly. "I mean, I am dead, right?"

"We're on our way," she replied. "I don't know how long it will be, so we might as well sit down. And yes, although I wish it weren't the case, you are dead. It's not a dream or anything." She gestured to the seats that were all around them. Somehow Jess hadn't noticed the seats before, but it seemed quite obvious to him now that they were on a bus.

"Alright," he said, sitting down on the nearest seat and glancing briefly out the window. Odd as it seemed, the bus appeared to be taking the same route his bus had taken back in elementary school. He paused for a moment and turned to face Leslie. "Where are we going?" he asked taking her hand in his.

"I don't really know," she told him honestly. I don't think it'll be the same place I've been. I think I've been waiting for you so I could finally go truly home. Heaven just couldn't be heaven without you there. I always knew I would wait for you to come too, although I hoped you would have other people to meet up with. A family, maybe. I didn't want you to be alone; I wanted you to be happy."

"I wasn't alone", he told her, "Not really. Sure, I never married, but I had my sisters, especially Maybelle, and I was a great uncle, spent a lot of time with their kids. And I was happy. I became an artist and a writer. Sometimes I even illustrated my own stories. That was enough for me- I didn't need more."

Leslie still seemed a bit upset, so he quickly added. "You were the inspiration for all that, you know. You made me believe I could do whatever I wanted. And even once you were gone, you were still there for me. That's part of why I never settled down. It wasn't that I didn't move on. I did, and I was happy again, but I couldn't forget you. I couldn't have truly given myself to someone else, still loving you like I did. It wouldn't have been fair to them. But that didn't keep me from being happy. I know I touched a lot of people with my art and that means more to me than anything."

Leslie's face brightened a bit, although there was still a touch of sadness. She had wanted more for Jess, but if that had made him happy, that was all that mattered. She had hoped he could have moved on and forgotten her, had a family of his own, but it was still nice to know that he had never given up on her.

They sat in silence for a while, just holding hands and looking at each other as the bus continued on familiar roads, not looping exactly, but still not reaching the end of the road. It was a comfortable silence as they both considered how the other had changed and matured with the years. Despite all the time apart they still fit together perfectly. They had grown separately, but by some miracle it had been in a complimentary we so that they still matched. Years meant nothing to them anymore.

After a while they began talking again, slowly sharing with each other the years that had gone by. Leslie learned everything that had happened to Jess in his life, and tried her best to explain what the years had been like for her. She cried a bit as she told him about seeing her parents again a few years before. And now, unlike when they were children, Jess was not ashamed to cry with her.

It was forever, and yet it was also somehow only moments before the bus stopped. Together they climbed down the steps. Before them, down a little dirt path lay a small cottage surrounded by trees. Behind it was more woods and in the distance they could hear a trickle of water from a creek. They knew instantly that this was where they were meant to be. They would have forever here.

Holding hands, they set off down the path, small steps taking them closer to the cottage and their future together. In time, others would arrive and they would once again be with their families and friends, but for now it was just the two of them. Fog gathered quickly as they walked down the path, their silhouettes' still holding hands as they disappeared behind the fog.

**Authors Note: Hope that wasn't too depressing. It was meant to be bittersweet and I hope it worked out that way. Let me know what you thought of it, and if you would like me to write more about Jess's life. Remember, reviews are love.**


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